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Jon Cohn Exton PA - Healthcare - Enterprise Architecture
1. JonCohn ExtonPA - Healthcare - Enterprise Architecture
Implementinghealthcare technologiesisjustthe beginning.We needtoplanhow theywill fit
together.
Integration,interoperability,dataquality,processautomationanalytics -- these ideasare simpleto
describe butcan be quite hardto execute intoday'sbusinessenvironments.The roadtobuilding
information-drivenbusinessesfarfromwell-paved.
Yet overthe past twodecades,enterprise architecture(EA) hasgraduallyemergedtohelp
institutionsinmanymarketsbuildnewoperatingmodelsandconnecttheiras-isandto-be business
strategiesandIT capabilities.Thoughthe disciplinestilllacksindustrywide consistency,EA advocates
inboth academiaandindustryreadilypointtosuccessful EA frameworksofferingbusiness-IT
governance,standardization,andmore sophisticatedsoftwareandinformationinfrastructures.
So where isitinhealthcare?
A CertificationCommissionforHealthInformationTechnologyreportonaccountable care never
mentionsthe conceptof enterprisearchitecture.Itgenerallyavoidsdescribinganyactual IT
framework.AndaPatient-CenteredPrimaryCare Collaborative report(registrationrequired)offersa
healthIT shoppinglistwithmore than10 itemsbutoverlooksthe obviousstatusquochallenges:lots
of software withverylittle processanddataorchestration.
In fact,virtuallyall of today'shealthcare buzzwordinitiatives -- populationhealth,healthinformation
exchanges,healthanalytics,medical neighborhoodmodels,performance andqualitymanagement --
share commoncapabilitiesmanageablethroughEA.
The industry'scurrentpreoccupationwithelectronicmedical records(EMRs) isa necessary
precursorto more cost-effective,data-drivenhealthcare.Buttechnology veteransknow thatbuying
more software anddumpingdataintowarehousesdoesnothingtoorchestrate sustainable business
performance.Informationavailabilitydoesnotequate tousability,anddatabasesfilledwith
electronicversionsof paperdocumentstructuresdonotnaturallyimprove healthoutcomesor
financial performance.
DeliveryinnovationinitiativessuchasAccountable Care Organizations(ACOs) -- whichnumbered
more than 400 at lastcount -- have challengedclinical leaderstomake headwayagainstbothreal
and perceiveddeficitsininternalinfrastructure.Those leadersare turningtoa growingmarketof
external serviceandtechnologypartnerstosupporttheiraccountable care andpatient-centered
medical home (PCMH) programs.These partners offerthree thingshealthleadersdesperatelyneed:
additional people togetworkdone,knowledgefromotherhealthinstitutions,andthe promise of
usable intelligence thatmayseemunattainable.Butisitreallysounattainable?
Many cliniciansrightlypointoutthatthe waywe provide care underACOsshouldnotbe all that
differentfromthe waywe provide all care.Similarly,EA opportunitiestranscendthe businessmodel
du jour.Regardlessof where aninstitutionmightbe onitstransformationaljourney,there are clear
reasonswhyEA shouldbe at the top of everyhealthenterprise projectportfolio.
2. Improvingperformance andhealthoutcomes:The qualityof anorganization'sprocessexecutionand
analytical insightsisdirectlydependentoninteroperability,automation,dataquality,andtimeliness.
If you wantto builda performance-orientedhealthdeliverymachine,EA providesthe engine and
fuel.
Controllingcosts:EA hasa proventrack recordof helpingorganizationscontrol operational
expenditures andincrease returnonassetsthroughreductionsinhardware purchasing,software
licensing,staff training,andsupportcosts.EA isgood businessregardlessof transformational goals.
Protectingprofitability:Healthorganizationsare increasinglycarryinghigherfinancialrisks.These
risksare compoundedwhenspendingdoesnotaddresssustainablecapabilitycreationandinstead
erodesmargins.
Managing securityandrisk:For all the rightreasons,ACOsand PCMHs oftenincrease the numberof
people,processes,andsystemsinvolvedincare delivery.Butcomplexityisthe enemyof security.EA
offersa meansof controllingrisks.
Encouragingbetterplanning:Qualityandconsistencygohandinhand.In the face of risingcare
practice and businessmodeldiversity,frontlinepractitionersneedconsistentprocessesfortreating
and managingpatients.EA providesacommonframeworkforbothdefiningandoperationalizingthe
to-be state of the business.
So whyisn'tEA more prominentinthe eyesof healthleaders?One reasonisthe current
preoccupationwithoperational issues;bothpeople andfundingare soheavilytiedtoEMRsand
qualitymetricsthatorganizationsare strugglingtofindcapacityformuchelse.Anotherreasonisthe
industry'sgeneral preference forbuyingasopposedtobuilding(exceptreal estate).Unlike many
othertechnology-relatedareas,EA isnota commodity,andit can onlybe maturedthroughinternal
investment.It'salsonotjusta technologyissue.Let'sbe honest -- EA isnot broadly understoodyet.
But the questionisthis:Canhealthcare effectivelytransformwithoutastrongeremphasison
enterprise architecture?Afterall,everyorganizationhasanenterprise architecture.Itmaynotbe
well designed,wellmanaged,comprehensive, capable,orcosteffective,butitexists.
But that isthe pointof healthtransformation,isn'tit?If the data journeytopopulationhealth
management-- includingcare coordination,healthinformationexchange,healthanalytics,andmore
-- seemsarduous,maybe it'stime toconsidera differentpath,evenif it'sunpaved.
Source : informationweek.com
Recommendedby:
JonCohn ,CTO, VP IT Architecture
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonacohn
joncohn@comcast.net